This paper charts conceptual shifts in the development of the thermo-dynamics of information as practiced at IBM from 1959 to 1982. It begins with a careful examination of how disembodied formal concepts like information were merged with physical concepts like volume and entropy in 1959 at IBM in a discourse about the fundamental limits of computing. A logical operation called “RESTORE TO ONE” became “erasure” and was equivalent to the erasing of logical histories; these logical entities were taken to reside (...) in physical objects or to be physical objects. Metaphorically twinned logical/physical systems moved toward forgetting information. This paper traces the genealogical origins of how computers. (shrink)

This paper presents the data gathering of Matthew Fontine Maury at the U.S. Naval Observatory as pushing an epistemic boundary outside traditional laboratory walls. Maury's use and control of civilian navigators explicates the development of an astronomic epistemology deeply embedded in nineteenth century American society. In conclusion, following the movement of epistemic boundaries is offered as a guide to crucial moments in the development of a multifaceted modernity.